Signal apparatus for trolley-railways.



I no IODBL.

.SIGN AL APP PATENTBD'MAR. 29, 1904. A. L. GHEATHAM.

ARATUS FOR TROLLBY RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1903.

2 B HBBTSBHEBT 1.

| PETER! cmm'ro-umor, wnsumcnon. a, c. 4

' PATENTED MAR. 29, 1904.

A. L. 'cHEATHAM; SIGNAL APPARATUSPOR TROLLEY RAILWAYS.

APPL'IouIon TILED AUG. 8, 190's.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I no 10mm.

Cal: 02%)? Q m: NORRIS PEYERS o0. PWHQ, WAsnmGToN n c UNITED STATESPatented March 29, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

ALMO L. OHEATHAM, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF TI-IREE- FOURTHSTO ROBERT V. OHEATHAM, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR TROLLEY-RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 756,156, dated March29, 1904.

Application filed August 8, 1903.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, AL o L. OHEATIIAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county of J eiferson and State ofKentucky, have invented new and useful Improvements in Signal Apparatusfor Trolley- Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric alarm and signal apparatus foroverhead electric railways, and has for its object to provide novel,

. simple, and efliicient mechanism for indicating the approach of a carat a railway-crossing or intersecting railway either by an audible alarmor visual signal, or both.

To this end my invention consists in the features and in theconstruction,combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claims following thedescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,'forming apart of this specification, wherein Figure 1 is a view in sideelevation, partly in section, of the tilting hanger and circuitcloser.Fig. 2 is an end view thereof. Fig.

, 3 is a detail view of a modification, and Fig. 4

is a diagrammatic view illustrating the operation of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the rails of a singleline of railwaytrack, and 2 the poles arranged alongside thereofsupporting span or guy wires 3 or other suitable support, from which issuspended the trolley-wire 4 in the manner hereinafter described.

Arranged alongside the track is a wire 5, ex-

' tending parallel with the track for a suitable distance on each sideof the crossing or intersecting line of railway 6. At the point wherethe wire crosses the crossing or intersecting railway is arranged anelectric bell 6 and a plurality of incandescentlamps 7. A branch wire 5leads from the wire 5 to one of the bindingposts of the electric bell,and from the other binding-post leads a wire 5 in which are arranged inseries the lamps 7, said wire 5 being electrically connected to thegrounded rail of the track.

The numeral 8 indicates an insulator con- Serial No. 168,793. (Nomodel.)

structed of porcelain or other material suitable for the purpose andprovided with two circumferential grooves 9 and 10. The guy-wire 3 liesin the groove 9 and partially surrounds the insulator and is clamped toits place in said groove by a hooked yoke 11 in the well known and usualmanner. Arranged. in the groove 10 is a split ring 12, and said ring isconnected by an insulated wire 13 with the signal-wire 5.

Passing centrally through each of the insulators 8 is a bolt 14, whichis provided at its lowerend with a hollow and nearly circular head 15,having an aperturel6 formed in its bottom. Said head and bolt aresecured rigidly in place in the insulator by a nut 17, screwed over theupper threaded end of the bolt 14.

The numeral 18 indicates a lever provided at one end with an extension19, on which is slidably arranged a counterweight 20, said counterweightbeing adjustably held in place on said extension by a set-screw 21. Theother end, 22, of the lever is curved, as shown, and is provided at itsfree end with a contactpoint 23. Intermediate its ends the lever 18 isprovided with an upward extension 24, terminating at its extremity in aneye 25, which is disposed within the hollow head 15, and passing throughsaid eye and through the hollow head 15 is a bolt 26, which forms apivot for the lever tooscillate upon.

One side of the hollow head 15 is provided 1 with a shoulder 27 whichlimits the movement of the lever in one direction. The lever 18 at asuitable point between its fulcrum and its contact end 23 is providedwith a grooved lug 28, which forms a seat for one end of a hooked link29, the other end of said link being hooked in a suitable perforationformed in thehangerplate 31 of ordinary construction and soldered orotherwise secured to the trolley-wire 4 in the usual and well-knownmanner. The weight of the trolley-wire is sufficient to normally holdthelever 18in the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings; but thecounterweight 20 in practice'is so adjusted on the extension 19 of thelever that it will require but slight force-say two or three poundspressureto overcome the weight of the trolley-wire and cause the end 22of the lever to rise owing to the weight of the counterbalance 20.

It will of course be understood that there are a number of the hangersconstructed as above described, there being one such hanger for eachpole or pair of poles 2 for a suitable distance on each side of thecrossing or intersecting railway.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: A car approaches one ofthe hanger-plates 31. The trolley raises the trolley-wire a slightdistance, whereupon the counterbalance 20 will depress the extension 19of the lever 18, and consequently raise the other end, 22, of saidlever, thus throwing the contact end 23 of said lever into engagementwith the ring 12. When this occurs, a circuit will be formed from thetrolley-wire over the hanger-plate 31, link 30, lever 18, split-ring 12,and wires 13 and 5 to the bell and lamp and thence to the grounded rail.When the circuit has been thus completed, the bell 6 will be sounded togive an audible alarm and the lamp 7 will be lighted, thus givingwarning at the railway-crossing or at the point where the intersectingrailway crosses the tracks that a car is approaching. This operationwill be repeated as many times as there are hangers. It will of coursebe understood that either the audible alarm or the lamps may be omittedand only one of such signals employed in the manner described, and itwill also be manifest that other forms of signals may be substituted forthose herein shown, the particular signal employed forming no part ofthe present invention. After the car has passed a hanger a certaindistance the weight of the trolley-wire 4will overcome the weight of thecounterbalance 20 and willdraw down thgfwlgf the lever 18 into theposition shown :1. 1 of the drawings, thus breaking the circuit andthrowing the signals out of operation.

When it is desirable to reduce the weight of the hangers, it may beaccomplished in the manner shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. As shown insaid figure,the counterbalance 20 and extension 19 of the lever aredispensed with, and in such case I provide two springs, each coiledintermediate its ends, as at 32, one end of each of said springs beingclamped between the insulator 8 and the head 15 and the other end of thespring resting on the under side of a pin or lug 33, formed on orinserted in the lever 18. All the other parts of the device areconstructed precisely in the manner before described, and the operationof the device is also the same as that before described, the springmerely being a substitute for the extension 19 and the counterbalance20.

I prefer to provide the lever 18 with one or more additional groovedseats 28 for the reception of the link 30, whereby when the spring issubstituted for the weight the link 30 may be shifted from one or moreof its seats on the lever to produce a variable or adjustable downwardpressure against the action of the spring.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In asignaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination with aconductor arranged alongside the track, and a signal electricallyconnected with said conductor intermediate the ungrounded ends of thelatter and also connected with earth, of a tilting hanger supportedabove the trolley-wire, means for suspending the trolley-wire from oneend of said hanger, a contact arranged in the path of the free end ofthe hanger and electrically connected with said conductor, and means forraising the free end of the hanger into engagement with said contactwhen the trolleywire is lifted by the trolley and thus complete thecircuit from the trolley-wire to the signal.

2. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan ungrounded conductor arranged alongside the track, and a signalelectrically connected with said conductor intermediate the ends of thelatter and also connected with earth, of a tilting hanger supportedabove the trolley-wire, means for suspending the trolley-wire from oneend of the hanger and in electrical contact therewith, a contactarranged in the path of the free end of the hanger and electricallyconnected with said conductor, and a weight arranged on the other end ofsaid hanger for raising the contact end of the hanger into engagementwith said contact when the trolley-wire is lifted by the trolley andthus complete the circuit from the trolley-wire to the signal.

3. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan insulator supported above the trolley-wire, of a tilting hangerpivotally connected with said insulator, means for connecting saidhanger to the trolleywire, means for suspending the trolley-wire fromsaid hanger, a contact arranged in the path of movement of the free endof the hanger, a signaling apparatus in circuit with said contact, andmeans for moving the hanger into electrical engagement with said contactwhen the trolley-wire is raised, for the purpose specified.

4. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan insulator supported above the trolley-wire, of a tilting hangerpivotally connected with said insulator, means for suspending thetrolley-wire from the free end of said hanger and electricallyconnecting it therewith, a contact arranged in the path of movement ofsaid free end of the hanger, a signaling apparatus in circuit with saidcontact, and means for moving said free end of the hanger intoengagement with said contact when the trolley-wire is raised, for thepurpose specified.

5. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan insulator supported above the trolley-wire, of a bolt passing throughthe insulator and provided at its lower end with a hollow head, atilting hanger pivoted within said hollow head, means for suspending thetrolley-wire from the free end of said hanger and electricallyconnecting it therewith, a contact arranged in the path of movement ofsaid free end of the hanger, a signaling apparatus in circuit with saidcontact, and means for moving the free end of the hanger into electricalengagement with said contact when the trolley-wire is raised, for thepurpose specified.

6. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan insulator supported above the trolley-wire, of a bolt passing throughthe insulator and provided at its lower end with a hollow head, atilting hanger pivoted within said head, means for suspendingthetrolley-wire from the free end of the hanger and electrically connectingit therewith, a contact arranged in the path of movement of said freeend of the hanger, a signaling apparatus in circuit with said contact,means for moving the free end of the hanger into engagement with thecontact when the trolley-wire is raised, and a shoulder formed on saidhead for limiting the movement of the hanger in one direction, for thepurpose specified.

7. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan insulator supported above the trolley-wire, a split ring encirclingsaid insulator, a signaling apparatus electrically connected with saidsplit ring, of a tilting hanger pivotally connected with said insulator,means for suspending the trolleywire from the free end of said hangerand electrically connecting it therewith, and means for moving the freeend of the hanger into engagement with said split ring when thetrolley-wire is raised, for the purpose specified.

8. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-railways, the combination withan insulator supported above the trolley-wire, of a metallic plate fixedto the trolley-wire, a tilting hanger pivotally connected with saidinsulator, ametallic link connecting said plate to the free end of saidhanger, a contact arranged in the path of movement of the free end ofthe hanger, a signaling apparatus in circuit with said contact, andmeans for moving the free end of the hanger into engagement with saidcontact when the trolley-wire is raised, for the pur-. pose specified.

10. In a signaling apparatus for trolley-rail ways, the combination witha cylindrical insulator supported above the trolley-wire, of a boltpassing vertically through said insulator and provided at its lower endwith a hollow head, a tilting hanger pivoted within said hollow head, ametallic link for suspending the trolley-wire from the free end of saidhanger and electrically connecting it therewith, asplit ring arrangedwithin the groove formed in the periphery of the insulator, a signalingapparatus in circuit with said split ring, and

means for moving thefree end of the hanger into engagement with saidsplit ring when the trolley-wire is raised, for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALMO L. GHEATHAM. Witnesses:

R. V. GHEATHAM, R. S. HORN.

